Me and My Boys

I stood there in shock for a few moments after Camille vanished into her house, but then I picked up the shovel she had abandoned and finished shoveling her driveway and sidewalk. I left the shovel next to her garage, and then headed back to my new house to shovel my own driveway and sidewalk. I knew how these Jersey winters were, and I didn’t want to risk getting snowed in the next day. After I finished shoveling, I pulled out my cellphone. It was only 12 o’clock, and I knew that the movers wouldn’t show up until 12:30, so I walked into the empty house and allowed my mind to wander.

“Hey Zach, come on! We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up!” she cried, yanking open the door. I shoved the shovel into the rapidly deepening snow and grinned.

“I’m sorry; I was just finishing up shoveling. I don’t want you to be stuck here later,” I called back, running into the small rented townhouse.

“I wouldn’t mind…but we really are going to be late!” she smiled, kissing my forehead. I rubbed the tip of my nose against hers, and she squealed at the cold of it. She kissed me deeply, her tongue dancing against my bottom lip before she broke away. I pouted and placed my hands on her hips

“Why do we have to go to this stupid thing anyway?” I asked, pulling her to my chest.

“Because your teammates invited you! You can’t just bail on them,” she smiled, poking me in the chest. Her deep brown eyes twinkled with playfulness.

“I guess you’re right,” I grumbled, pulling off my coat and gloves.

There was a loud knock at the door and I jumped before running to open it. The movers had arrived, and I directed them to where they should put the stuff. Compared to the size of the house, I didn’t have much. A few minutes after the movers arrived, Travis, Danius, Ilya, Marty, David, and Patrik showed up.

“Hey guys,” I said, smiling.

“Yo. Nice pad man, it’s awesome!” Travis said, stomping his boots against the step before walking in. I nodded and ushered the rest of the guys in. Pretty soon the whole house was set up, between the guys helping me unpack boxes and the movers setting the furniture up.

“Hey Zach,” Ilya called from the dining room.

“Yeah?” I asked, walking in with a dish in my hand. Marty and Travis were goofing off in the kitchen, and David, Danius, and Patrik were trying to get the TV set up in the family room.

“You want this picture?” he asked, holding up a silver picture frame. I looked at the picture and the dish slid from my fingers, shattering on the ground.

“Wh-where did you get that?” I asked. Ilya motioned to the box at his feet. I felt the color drain from my face.

“I am sorry. I should not have asked. I should know it is garbage,” Ilya spat out bitterly before tossing it to Marty, who had walked up behind me. Marty placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. His blue eyes were full of understanding, and I was grateful that some of the older guys were there instead of the younger ones. Marty handed the frame to David, who threw it unceremoniously into the garbage. I heard the sound of shattering glass, and I looked at the floor, where the now destroyed dish was laying. I shifted my feet out from beneath a few pieces of broken porcelain and Patty walked in from the other room.

“I’ll clean it up,” he said quietly before walking out again.

“Why does she keep coming back?” I whispered, half to myself. My fists were balled up so tightly that my fingernails dug into my skin, biting at my palms. I was angry, and upset, and everything else that could be negative in a man boiled in my stomach.

“You keep letting her,” Marty said quietly. I stared at him for a moment.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You were thinking about her before we came in, weren’t you? You had that sad, distracted look on your face that you get when you think about her. I can see it even now. She broke your heart kid…but you have to move on. There is someone out there who’s going to do better than fix it…she’ll make it new. Trust me,” Marty said. I slipped out of his grasp and stumbled into the wall.

“How can you be the one to tell me about heart break when you’re a heartbreaker too?” I snarled. Marty’s face fell, and Ilya stood up.

“Zach that was not called for,” he said, warning filling his voice.

“Why don’t you all just leave?” I growled. Ilya opened his mouth to say something, but Travis put a hand on his shoulder.

“Zach is right…I think he just needs some time to clear his head,” Travis said before guiding Ilya and Marty towards the door.

“Hey Zach,” Marty said, his back towards me.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“When you’re done feeling sorry for yourself, I’d really love an apology,” he said before walking out of the house. The others shook their heads sadly, and Patty gave me a shrug and a sad smile before walking out of the house. I slammed the door shut behind them, fuming. After a few minutes, what I said finally sunk in, and I leaned against the wall next to the front door. I found myself sliding down the wall, and by the time I was sitting on the floor, I started to cry. I had never allowed myself to cry. It wasn’t manly, but at that moment, I didn’t care. I had hurt my friends, my teammates, the guys who had always been there for me. After a few minutes, I stopped crying, and I nearly jumped out of my skin as someone knocked on the door. I stood up, straightened my shirt out, wiped my cheeks, and opened the door.

“Hi Zach…we saw the movers and figured we should officially welcome you to the neighborhood. This is Jack, and you’ve already met Jimmy. They…they’re my sons,” Camille said, pushing the two boys out in front of her. I stared at her for a second, and then at the boys, who were smiling nervously. I crouched down and held out my hand.

“Hi boys…I’m Zach. It’s nice to know I have such friendly neighbors,” I said, smiling broadly. Sons huh?